Around the Big 12: Week 10

The Big 12 may have lost its opportunity to have a representative in the college football playoff this past weekend as the conference hasn’t looked right this entire season.

Recap of Week Nine:

Kansas 38, No. 6 Oklahoma 33

The Jayhawks stunned the college football world this weekend after defeating the Sooners at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. This defeat may be costly for Oklahoma’s playoff hopes as the season begins to wind down.

The game began with Kansas jumping out to an early 14-0 in the second quarter. The Jayhawks defense held an explosive Sooners offense in check for the entire first quarter, but there was only so much Kansas could do before Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel began to cook.

Gabriel led Oklahoma down the field on three consecutive drives, and his efforts gave the Sooners a 21-17 lead heading into the half. He tallied two rushing touchdowns himself on those drives.

Kansas continued to play exceptionally well on the offensive side of the ball and made Oklahoma feel uneasy the entire second half.

With 2 minutes left in the game, Oklahoma was forced to punt the ball to the Jayhawks up one, and Kansas took advantage of this opportunity. They drove down the field, and with 55 seconds left, running back Devin Neal rushed for a nine-yard touchdown.

The Sooners got down the field fast and had a chance to score with one last-second heave to the endzone, but the Jayhawks held on and won the game 38-33.

West Virginia 41, UCF 28

West Virginia came into this game against UCF off of two rough losses, but they were able to bounce back, and Neal Brown continues to live another day as the head coach in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers controlled this game on offense through the run game. Quarterback Garrett Greene rushed 11 times for 55 yards and three touchdowns. West Virginia running backs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White also had big days on the ground.

Donaldson went for 121 yards on 17 carries, and white went 85 yards on nine carries. Both backs found the endzone once.

The Knights struggled in this game also because of their quarterback’s turnover issues. John Rhys Plumlee threw three interceptions in the game, and he also lost a fumble.

UCF has struggled so far in the Big 12 this season. The once self-proclaimed National Champions are just 3-5.

A look ahead:

No. 23 Kansas State at No. 7 Texas

Austin will host Big Noon on Saturday as the Longhorns face the Wildcats in a top-25 matchup.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will not play in this game, and the playoff hopes for the Longhorns will rest on the shoulders of redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy.

Murphy was solid in the game last weekend against BYU. He threw for two touchdowns and 170 yards. He will need to be significantly better against Kansas State to make a statement to the playoff committee.

The Wildcats, on the other hand, tend to play spoiler against teams that have aspirations to win championships. Last year, Kansas State beat TCU in the Big 12 Championship which almost kept the Horned Frogs out of the playoff.

No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 22 Oklahoma State

This is the last time Bedlam will be played with both teams in the Big 12 due to Oklahoma’s move to the SEC next year.

Right now, there is no renewal for this rivalry, so this might be the last time this game happens for a while. Because of this, the Cowboys are taking this year’s matchup personally.

Bedlam usually features a close matchup with two explosive offenses going head to head. This year will be no different. Oklahoma has a top-5 scoring offense in the country, while Oklahoma State has the 46th-best scoring offense.

Both defenses will have their hands full in this game, and it is going to be a great game as it usually is.

Ethan Bell is a third-year majoring in public relations. To contact him, email epb5391@psu.edu.